Scores of armed men Tuesday evening attacked a village, Kampanin Doka, in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing 12 soldiers and injuring four others.
The soldiers were among a special detachment of troops sent to the village to ensure security for expatriates and others working on a new road linking Zamfara State with Kaduna through Dansadau-Dangulbi and Birnin Gwari.
One of the foreign engineers working at the site was last year kidnapped but was later released. After that incident, all the workers fled the site but were mobilized back with a pledge that they would be provided security.
A source said the bandits attacked the soldiers’ camp between 8pm and 9pm on Tuesday, killing three soldiers in a hole and nine others in the camp.
The source said, “We gathered that the soldiers had caught a thief in a village called Maganda in the area and were taking him back to their camp when some police personnel asked them to hand over the thief to them which the soldiers refused. The same police followed the soldiers to their camp in Kampanin Doka and again asked them to hand over the thief to them, but the soldiers still refused. Around 8pm on Tuesday, bandits attacked the soldiers’ camp and killed three soldiers in a hole and nine others in a tent in the camp.”
The source added that the bandits had the previous day attacked Maganda village and shot nine people.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, 1 Division Nigerian Army Headquarters Kaduna, Colonel Muhammad Dole, did not confirm the killing of the soldiers. He merely said, “We are preparing a press release. Please, give me some time.”
A social media message by the Birnin Gwari Vanguard for Security and Good Governance said, “Once more, we the people of Birnin-Gwari are under siege and in need of protection… We will remain vigilant and await the response of the government.”
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, said in a statement that he received with sadness reports of bandit attacks in Doka and Maganda villages and the loss of lives. He offered his condolence to the communities and the military over the incident. He said the government was monitoring developments in the Birnin Gwari LGA and reiterated the resolve of the government to overcome rural banditry.
